Howard Beale is a fictional character from the film Network (1976) and one of the central characters therein.[1] He is played by Peter Finch, who won a posthumous Oscar for the role.[2]

In Network, Beale, the anchorman for the UBS Evening News, struggles to accept the ramifications of the social ailments and depravity existing in the world. His producers exploit him for high ratings and avoid giving him the psychiatric assistance that some (especially his companion Max Schumacher) think he needs.

The image of Beale in a beige coat with his wet hair plastered to his head, standing up during the middle of his newscast saying, "I'm as mad as hell, and I'm not going to take this anymore!" is often listed as one of the most iconic in film history, and the aforementioned line ranked #19 on the American Film Institute's 2005 list of the 100 greatest American movie quotes.[3]

Beale's career as "The Mad Prophet of the Airwaves" is sparked by his half-joking offer, after receiving his two-weeks' notice, to kill himself on nationwide TV. He subsequently apologizes to his viewers, telling them he "ran out of bullshit." Viewers respond positively and he is given his own show where he can say whatever he likes. Unfortunately for the network, he exposes the ties between CCA, the corporation that owns the network, and business interests in Saudi Arabia. Arthur Jensen, CCA chairman and chief stockholder (played by Ned Beatty), thunderously explains to him his belief that money is the only true god, whereupon Beale completely turns his message around; before, he told people their lives had value and meaning, but after his meeting with Jensen, he says the opposite. His ratings drop, but Jensen orders him kept on; network executives order him to be assassinated. The film concludes with his murder on national television; a voiceover proclaims him "the first known instance of a man who was killed because he had lousy ratings."